Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, generally referred to a C.P.R., is a widely utilized method for providing artificial circulation in a person with cardiac arrest. If the blood can be kept circulating by aritificial means and if it is supplied with oxygen by artificial ventilation, a person can be kept alive temporarily until the heart is restored to its function of pumping blood. Resuscitation efforts must be started within at least four to six minutes after circulation had stopped, otherwise brain damage will result.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation involves restoration of breathing by artificial ventilation, such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and the restoration of circulation by external cardiac compression. Cardiac compression involves the manual application of pressure to the patient's sternum in rhythmic fashion. Cardiac compression requires that the patient be placed on his back on a firm surface--never on a mattress or similar soft surface. Most ambulances and rescue units are equipped with special equipment, such as spine boards or C.P.R. boards which are designed to provide the necessary rigidity to support the patient during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Another important factor in cardiopulmonary resuscitation is to assure that the patient has a clear airway and that the throat is free from obstructions. To this end, it is desirable to place the patient's head in a hyperextended position, i.e., tilted backwards, so that the tongue is elevated, thereby opening the airway. Some C.P.R. boards incorporate a head receiving pocket which facilitates placing the patient's head in the proper position.
There are, however, certain disadvantages to the use of currently available spine boards and C.P.R. boards. Since cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts should not be interrupted for any reason and should be continued even while the patient is being loaded into an ambulance or unloaded at the hospital, it is often difficult to transfer the patient to or from an ambulance cot. If the patient is lying on a cot at the time the cardiac arrest occurs, it becomes necessary to move the patient in order to insert the board, and valuable time may be lost in retrieving the board from its storage location and placing it beneath the patient. C.P.R. boards are essentially single use items, and constitute extra equipment which must be carried in the ambulance or rescue vehicle, where available space is often at a minimum.
The present invention deals with the provision of a cot mattress having general purpose usage, the construction of the mattress being such that it may be converted in an instant to meet C.P.R. requirements.